Needle-case



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

G. J. KRAMER 82; L; B. GARTTER.

NEEDLE GASE.

Patented Jan. 11

Wifgesses 2 Sheets.

'(No Model.)

G. J. KRAMER & L. B. GARTTER. NEEDLE CASE. No. 597,004. Patented Jan.11,1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT rricE.

GEORGE J. KRAMER AND LEROY B. OARTTER, OF LAS ANIMAS, COLORADO.

N EEDLE-CAS E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,004, dated January11, 1898. Application filed April 13,1897. Serial No. 631,986. (Nomodel.)

To 6055 whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE J. KRAMER and Lnnov B. CARTTER, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Las Animas, in the county of Bent andState of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Needle-Case, of whichthe following is a specification.

Our invention relates to needlecases, and has for its object to providea simple and compact construction of case provided with tiers ofcompartments adapted for the reception, respectively, of packages ofneedles of different sizes or grades and kinds, said compartmenis beingreadily accessible for refilling and also being provided with selectingmeans whereby packages maybe withdrawn therefrom separately and wherebythe withdrawal of more than a single package is prevented.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description,and the novel features thereof Will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, higure 1 is a perspective view with the cover removedof a case constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is avertical transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail verticalsection of one of the compartments, taken in a plane at right angles tothat of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail horizontal section of one of thecompartments to show the manner of mounting the slide by which the frontof the compartment is closed. Fig. 5 is a detail view in perspective ofone of the guide-strips, of which the horizontal portion forms the stopfor limiting the upward movement of the plunger, while the verticalportion forms the outer side of the guide for one edge of the slide.Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of a case constructed inaccordance with our invention, showing a modified construction of top orcover of the roller type.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The GXllGllOl construction of the case both as to dimensions and shapemay be varied as desired to suit the preference of the manufacturer orthe trade, the interior thereof, however, being fitted with a pluralityof tiers (three being illustrated in the drawings) of needlereceivingcompartments, the needles being arranged in the compartments in thepackages in which they are usually sold, with the uppermost package ineach compartment exposed at the open top of the receptacle. Thesecompartments or receptacles are identical in construction, varying onlyin size to suit the size and shape of the packages of needles or otherarticles which may be arranged therein.

The compartments are separated by interposed transverse walls 1, andwithin each compartment is arranged a plunger 2, preferably providedwith a stem 3, operating in a guide-opening at and fitted with a coiledactuating-spring 5, which bears at one end against the rear side of theplunger and at the other end against a fixed portion of the case, suchas one Wall of the compartment, to yieldingly hold the plunger advancedtoward the permanently-open side of the compart-ment, saidpermanently-open side being in the path of the plunger. Thispermanently-open side is contracted in width by overhanging stop-flanges6, which are arranged in the path of the plunger to limit the extensionthereof, and hence when packages of needles, such as that shown at 7,are arranged upon the plunger the foremost package bears against saidstop-flanges and is firmly held in contact therewith by the tension ofthe actuating-spring.

In the construction illustrated the permanently-open sides of thecompartments are arranged at the tops thereof, whereby packages ofneedles arranged upon a plunger are held in a horizontal position incontact with the under surfaces of the horizontal stopfianges arrangedat the opposite sides of the said open top, the motion of the plungerbeing vertical.

In addition to the permanently-open side of each compartment it isprovided with a second open side at right angles to the firstnamed orpermanently-open side, said second open side being fitted with aremovable slide or closure 8, fitted at its lateral edges in guidesformed in the walls of the compartment. In the construction illustratedin the drawings the side which is fitted with the slide 8 is arranged atthe front of each compartment, whereby the slide is arranged in avertical position, its lateral edges being fitted in rah contiguouscompartments and being held therein by guide-flanges 10, which areformed byextensions of the metallic strips which are employed to formthe above-mentioned stopflanges 6. These metallic strips are thus ofangular construction, with one arm arranged in the planes of thepermanently-open sides of the compartments, while the other arm isarranged in a plane parallel with the sides of the compartments whichare normally fitted with slides or closures. The portions of the lateraledges of said strips which form, respectively, the stop and guideflanges are cut away contiguous to the angle between theperpendicularly-dis posed arms of the strip to form notches 11, theportion of each notch which is formed by cutting away the stopflangebeing in the plane of the slide, whereby the latter is removable, whilethe portion of a the notch in each strip which is formed in theguide-flange is in the plane of the uppermost package supported by aplunger to allow said uppermost package to be withdrawn longitudinallyor in a plane parallel with the stop flanges. The upper edges of theslides form selecting devices, which are arranged at such an intervalfrom the plane of the contiguous stop-flanges as to prevent more thanone package from being withdrawn at a time from any given compartmentlVhen it is desired to fill a compartment with packages, the slide isremoved and the plunger depressed by inserting a finger through the openside of the compartment to allow the packages to be arranged between theplane of the front or upper side of the plunger and the plane of thestop-flanges In order to remove a package from a compartment, it issimply necessary to place a finger upon the exposed surface of theoutermost or uppermost package and, by depressing the same sufficientlyto remove it from frictional contact with the stop-flanges, draw thesame forwardly through the notches in the contiguous strips, which formthe stop and guide flanges.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings, as above indicated, thecompartments are arranged with their permanently-open sides uppermost,the plungers operating vertically, but it is obvious that this specificarrangement may be varied without materially modifying the constructionof the apparatus. WVhen, however, said permanently-open side isuppermost and the perpendicularly-disposed side, which is fitted witharemovable slide, is arranged toward the front, as shown, it is desirableto mark each slide with a number or character designating the grade orsize of the articles which are to be arranged in the compartment closedby said slide. Such an arrangement is illustrated in the drawings,

. wherein the slides are provided with characters indicating therespective sizes of the needles, those compartments in the uppermosttier having double-number marks,which indicate that the needles to bearranged therein are of assorted sizes, ranging in grade from one numberto the other borne by the slide. For instance, the slide of the, firstcompart- 'ment at the left in the upper tier, as illustrated in thedrawings, bears the numerals 1-6 to indicate that the needles which arearranged in. said compartment vary in grade from No. 1 to No. 6. Theslides of the compartments in the lower and intermediate tiers bearsingle numbers to indicate that the needles arranged therein are not ofassorted sizes, but that all of the needles in a package are of auniform size designated by the number with which the compartment isprovided.

The construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 requires a lid orcover 12,provided at its upper edge with studs 13 to engage sockets in the fixedupper portion of the case and fitted this specific construction of lidor cover may be. varied, as hereinbefore mentioned, one

modification being illustrated in Fig. 6,wherein the case is providedwith a roller-top 15, which, however, is not shown in detail for thereason that it corresponds in construction with that of the ordinaryform of roller-top used for desks and similar devices.

It will be understood that in practice various other changes in theform, proportion,

and the minor details of construction may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of thisinvention.

Having described our invention, what we claim is- 1. A needle-casehaving a plurality of compartments separated by partitions havingvertical rabbets in their front edges, said compartments having openfront and upper sides, metallic strips bent at a right angle and secured to the upper and front edges of the respective partitions, saidstrips being of a .width greater than the edges of the partitions tooverhang the open sides of the compartments on opposite sides of thepartitions, the vertical members of said strips cooperating with therabbets to form guideways, and the overhanging portions of thehorizontal members forming stop-flanges to arrest the upward movement ofspring-supported needie-packages in the respective compartments, slidesremovably fitted in the said guideways and terminating at their upperends below the uppermost package of needles, and said strips being cutaway on each side at their angles to form recesses to permit the removalof the slides vertically and the uppermost package of needleshorizontally, substantially as described.

2. A needle-case, comprisinga plurality of compartments separated bypartitions having vertical rabbets in their front edges, saidcompartments having open front and upper sides, metallic strips, ofgreater width than the partitions, bent at a right angle and secured tothe upper and front edges of the partitions to overhang the open sidesof the compartments on opposite sides of the respective partitions, theVertical members of said strips cooperating with the said rabbets toform guideways, and the overhanging portions of the horizontal membersof said strips forming stopflanges, a spring-actuated plunger mountedfor vertical movement in each compartment to support a superposed seriesof packages of needles with the uppermost package in contact with thestop-flanges, slides removably fitted in the guides formed by therabbets and the vertical members of the strips, said slides terminatingat their upper ends below the stop-flangcs a distance sufficient to per-GEORGE J. KRAMER. LEROY B. CARTTER.

Witnesses:

H. J. JACQUAR, T. F. MURPHY.

